


Soulmates, Karma and Other Things Liam Doesn't Believe In

by melancholy_and_chocolate



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cheating, Everyone Is Gay, Fluff and Humor, Human AU, Liam is skeptical, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-06-23 12:32:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15606363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melancholy_and_chocolate/pseuds/melancholy_and_chocolate
Summary: Liam and Theo get cheated on by the same girl.Karma's a bitch with a soft spot for thiam.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> just an idea I couldn't shake off

 

Mason pulled into the restaurant’s busy parking lot. Liam figured that right about now it would be the dinner rush.

 

“Thanks for the ride Mase” Liam smiled as he got out of the car. Liam had been getting rides off of his friends ever since his mom took away his car due to the amount of tickets Liam had racked up, despite the fact that he didn’t live with his parents anymore. Turns out road rage only gets amplified with the addition of IED and no one says 'no' to Jenna Geyer.

 

“Tell me what Emma says” Mason called out after him. Liam shook his head but agreed nonetheless. Mason liked to be in the know.

 

Liam’s girlfriend of almost one year now, Emma, had texted Liam, inviting him to have dinner with her, claiming she had important news.

 

Liam walked into the restaurant, shoving his hands in his pockets, glancing around to find her. Soon enough he spotted Emma’s hard-to-miss red hair and cheerfully made his way to her table.

 

They hadn’t exchanged any I love you’s yet, but Liam could tell that his heart belonged to her. He didn’t fully love her yet, and he wouldn’t say it until he was sure, but he could just tell that it would happen eventually.

 

In the back of his mind, Liam was hoping and praying that Emma just might be the one.

 

Liam’s pace slowed down once he was able to get a better view of Emma, because that was when he noticed that she wasn’t alone. Some ridiculously good looking guy sat across from her, head tilted back as he laughed at something she said.

 

Liam couldn’t immediately distinguish any similarities between the two which essentially ruled out the idea of them being relatives.

 

 _Friends_ , Liam decided, _they must be friends._

 

But then Liam spotted something that made his heart beat quicken. They were holding hands.

 

Sure Liam had held hands with Mason before, hell, he’d even held hands with Corey, Nolan and Brett too. But somehow, the way Emma was holding the mans hand, didn’t look platonic.

 

Liam finally cautiously approached the table, clearing his throat to grab their attention.

 

The man look up and cocked his head to the right, his expression curious. However, Emma’s eyes widened like saucers and she immediately drew her hand away as if burnt by the mans touch.

 

“You wanted to see me?” Liam decided to not beat around the bush. He wanted answers.

 

“Liam, _hi_ , I don’t remember calling you” Emma nervously twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Liam frowned, she almost never called him Liam, sticking to mostly babe, baby or Li.

 

“You texted me” Liam pulled out his phone and opened the message, holding it out for her to see.

 

_Emma: Meet me at Lilian’s at 8, I’ve got important news babe xx_

 

Almost immediately, Emma’s face paled.

 

“Crap, I must’ve accidentally forwarded the message to you after I sent it to Theo” she slapped her palm against her forehead.

 

The guy, Theo, finally spoke up.

 

“E, who is this?”

 

“Theo this is Liam, Liam this is Theo” Emma introduced. Her lack of titles explaining how she knew them didn’t go unnoticed by either one of the boys, who both seemed suspicious.

 

“Who are you?” Theo bluntly asked. 

 

“I’m Emma’s boyfriend” Liam shot back, narrowing his eyes. Theo’s jaw dropped slightly, “Who are _you_?”

 

“Last I checked, _I’m_ Emma’s boyfriend” Theo turned his gaze onto the red headed girl who looked like she was seconds away from booking it out of there.

 

Liam felt his heart stop. She was cheating on him. _Of course_. Why had he expected anything different.

 

Relationships never worked out for Liam. First Hayden moved away, then that guy he met at the gym turned out to be a douche, the guy Corey tried to set him up with from work ended up actually having a thing for Corey, this girl from the coffee shop who wasn’t looking for anything serious and now this.

 

“You’re cheating on me?” Theo deadpanned.

 

“It’s not what it looks like” Emma tried to explain. Explain what, Liam wasn’t sure. There was no way out of this mess for her, she was backed into a corner.

 

“Was I not good enough?” The words left his mouth before Liam could even register them “You had to find someone else, someone better than me?”

 

He had to know. He was sick and tired of being left in the dark. What was it with him and relationships?

 

Emma looked down at the ground.

 

“Li” Emma softly spoke, finally giving up the game “You _were_ the someone else”

 

Liam froze. He’d never considered that possibility. He’d just kind of assumed that based on his luck, he was the one being cheated on, not with.

 

“ _Oh my god_ , I was the other woman” Liam gasped, horrified by the revelation. 

 

“Emma we were together for three years” Theo shook his head. Liam felt a tug at his heart, feeing unbelievable guilty for being the cause of this beautiful mans pain.

 

“I wanted change, but I still wanted you” was all she said back.

 

“I think it goes without saying that we’re over” Theo huffed, throwing his napkin onto the table and standing up.

 

“Ditto” Liam nodded.

 

“Either tell them not to bring out my food or eat it yourself” were the last words Theo said before walking off. Liam blinked. Three years, down the drain, just like that.

 

“Li, we can make this work” Emma pleaded “He’s out of the picture now”

 

“And so am I” Liam shook his head, his face contorting in anger. How could she say that? Did she really think Liam could ever be with her again? It almost made him explode at how easily she seemed to let Theo go.

 

Which was odd. Not the fact that he was getting angry, but the fact that he wasn’t angry for himself. All of the anger boiling beneath the surface was for a certain pair of green eyes.

 

 He spun on his heel and walked away, following in the same direction of Theo. He ignored Emma’s pleas and sped up, hoping to catch up with Theo.

 

Fortunately, he managed to catch the guy right outside the restaurant.

 

“Theo” Liam started “I am _so_ sorry”

 

Theo gave him a sad, tired smile. “It wasn’t your fault”

 

“Still” Liam insisted “At least let me buy you dinner or something”

 

“You don’t have to”

 

“I _want_ to”

 

Theo’s eyes twinkled. “Alright, there’s a diner just up the street, my sister owns it, let’s go there”

 

Liam quickly nodded, falling into step beside Theo as the two made their way up the sidewalk in a comfortable silence.

 

Liam watched as a neon sign that read _‘Tara’s Diner’_ came into view. He assumed Tara was Theo’s sister.

 

Theo pulled the door open for him, allowing Liam to enter first. Almost immediately he was engulfed in the warm atmosphere. The diner had a homey feel to it and Liam decided he’d be spending a lot more time here.

 

Theo led him to a booth in the back. A waitress came over to them, head tilted in curiosity. Liam could immediately recognize the similarities between Theo and Tara, at least physically.

 

“Theo, who’s this?” the woman asked “And where’s Emma?”

 

“Tara, this is Liam, the other woman Emma was cheating on me with” Theo replied, winking at Liam. 

 

“Hello” Liam sheepishly smiled at Tara.

 

“I never liked her anyway” Tara scowled before beaming at Liam “It’s nice to meet you hun, what can I get for you guys?”

 

“Just get us two of the regulars” Theo said. 

 

“Coming right up” she nodded, walking away.

 

“She seems nice” Liam nodded.

 

“That’s one way to put it” Theo snorted with a fond look on his face.

 

Silence washed over them and Liam’s mind started racing. Theo had just been cheated on, he was probably heart broken. Liam wondered if he should say something to try and make him feel better. 

 

But what could he say?

 

“I always used a condom” he blurted, immediately berating himself for not having a filter.

 

Theo’s gaze snapped up from his phone to a blushing Liam, looking torn between amusement and confusion.

 

“Just in case you were worried about getting any diseases” Liam tried to explain. Theo raised a bemused eyebrow.

 

“Not that I have any sexual diseases!” Liam quickly added in embarrassment.

 

“What about the non-sexual kind?” 

 

“I don’t have those either!” Liam wanted to curl up and die in a hole.

 

“I have a feeling your mouth does a lot of talking without thinking” Theo chuckled. Liam had to admit that his laugh was probably one of the most beautiful things he’d ever heard.

 

“My mouth does a lot of other things too” Liam immediately slapped a hand over his mouth as his cheeks reddened even further.

 

Theo made a noise that resembled a choke and had to cough a couple times before he started laughing.

 

“ _I can’t believe I just said that_ ” Liam squeaked.

 

“You’re the best” Theo shook his head, his laughter dying down. Liam had to grin at the compliment.

 

Tara chose this moment to return, two plates of food in hand. Liam’s stomach growled at the sight of the burger and fries.

 

“Hungry?” Theo’s lips quirked up.

 

“Haven’t eaten since lunch because I thought I’d be having dinner with Emma right about now” Liam couldn’t keep the bitterness out of tone. 

 

“I thought I’d be having dinner with a pretty girl tonight, but I ended up with a pretty boy instead” Theo smiled. Liam felt his cheeks heat up.

 

“I like him more than Emma” Tara told Theo as she placed the food down in front of them. His sister scurried off before either of them could thank her and Liam had to assume it was because she wanted to give them some alone time.

 

“Looks like I’ve already won over your family” Liam winked.

 

“It’s not just them you’ve won over” Theo gave him a lopsided smile before digging into his food. Liam softly smiled as he picked up a fry and popped it in his mouth.

 

He’d won Theo over, but what the green eyed man didn’t know was that Theo had won Liam over awhile ago.

 

*

 

*

 

“Hey, thanks for dropping me off” Liam said as he undid his seatbelt.

 

“It’s no problem” Theo waved him off “So I guess I’ll see you later?” 

 

“You bet your ass you will”

 

Liam got out of the car, discreetly smiling at Theo’s laugh. He waved one last time before walking into the apartment building. He took the elevator up to his floor and quickly got to his and Mason’s apartment.

 

After graduating high school, the two immediately bought an apartment together, relatively close to campus.

 

“I’m back” Liam said. It was past midnight but he knew Mason, and most likely Corey too, wouldn’t rest until they dragged the details of tonight out of him. Sure enough, he heard footsteps rushing over and soon enough Mason and Corey were in front of him.

 

“So how was it?” Mason asked.

 

“Theo and I had a great time. We went to his sisters diner. I’ve never been there before but I’m definitely gonna go back” Liam babbled “Mason, you and Corey should go there with Theo and I. It’d be so fun”

 

“ _Theo?_ ” Mason interrupted “Who’s Theo and why were you at his sisters diner? Was Emma there?”

 

“No, it turns out Emma was cheating on Theo with me” Liam casually answered, kicking off his shoes “Can you believe someone would cheat on Theo?”

 

Mason and Corey froze.

 

“ _Oh Liam_ ” Mason frowned.

 

“Are you okay?” Corey tentatively asked. 

 

“That’s the thing guys” Liam explained “I’m not even mad about it. I mean at first I was pissed, but now I can’t even remember what her voice sounds like”

 

It was true. All thoughts of Emma were out the window and replaced by ones of Theo.

 

“Are you sure?” Mason prodded.

 

“I swear” Liam nodded.

 

“So tell us more about this Theo then” Corey smiled.

 

Liam went on to explain his entire night from start to finish, talking about how much he liked Theo.

 

“So now that Emma’s out of the picture, Theo’s in?” Mason asked.

 

“I mean, I hope so” Liam admitted. Mason smiled.

 

“As long as you’re happy” 

 

“I also may have unintentionally told Theo I had STDs” Liam added as an afterthought. Corey giggled as Mason sighed.

 

“What’re we gonna do with you?”

 

*

 

*

 

Two months. Two whole damn months of spending time with Theo. Liam was pretty sure he was going insane. He wanted to act on his feelings, but at the same time he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. 

 

Was Theo even ready for another relationship? Was Liam himself even ready? There were so many questions he didn’t have the answer to.

 

“Do you wanna come over tonight?” Liam asked as he and Theo waited for their coffees “Mason is spending the night at Corey’s so we can watch a movie or something”

 

Liam introduced Theo to his friends only a week or two after their first encounter. It was safe to say that everyone loved him, something that couldn’t be said for any of his other relationships.

 

“Alone?” Theo smirked.

 

“It’ll be just us” he nodded in confirmation, butterflies swirling in his stomach at the thought.

 

“And our new puppy” Liam added as an after thought.

 

“You got a puppy? When?” Theo demanded the details.

 

“Last night, I found him in an alleyway. I took him to Scott and after he cleaned him up and gave him vaccines and everything else he had to do, he let me take him home” Liam babbled.

 

“Didn’t you tell me your apartment building doesn’t allow pets?” 

 

“What they don’t know won’t hurt them” Liam defensively shrugged. Theo laughed.

 

Their names were both called for their drinks and the two split ways, Theo to class and Liam to Brett and Nolan’s apartment to study with Nolan.

 

“Have you and Raeken relieved the sexual tension yet?” were the first words out of Brett’s mouth as he opened the door for Liam.

 

“Nice to see you too” Liam scowled, shoving past him.

 

“By all means, make yourself at home” Brett mumbled under his breath. Liam ignored him in favour of joining Nolan at the kitchen table. Books and papers were scattered in front of him.

 

“Liam, thank god you’re here” Nolan exclaimed “I have no clue what I’m doing”

 

“We’ll revise everything and before long you’ll be acing the next test”

 

For the next couple hours Liam helped Nolan understand the course they shared. It was difficult at first, because Nolan really didn’t have a clue what he was doing. He was so bad that, had Liam not actually sat beside him in class, Liam would’ve believed that Nolan had never even attended class.

 

They took a couple study breaks in which Brett took it upon himself to antagonize Liam about his crush on Theo.

 

Hours later, Liam left their apartment and made his way back home to his own. By this time Mason has already left to go to Corey’s, so he was alone.

 

His new puppy scrambled towards the door, happy to see him. He cooed as he knelt down to pet him.

 

“Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy Teddy” Liam said in a high pitched voice. Mason and Brett had thrown a fit after they realized Liam named the dog after Theo.

 

Checking his phone, he realized he had a little under an hour until Theo came over. Liam decided now would be a good time to take a shower seeing as it was probably the only thing he could do to take his mind off of what he was planning for tonight.

 

After listening to countless of Brett’s offhanded comments about him and Theo, Liam was ready to make a move.

 

He was also ready for rejection.

 

He went to the washroom and stripped down after setting Teddy on the couch.  He stepped into the shower, just standing under the steady flow. He tilted his head back and let the water droplets run down his chest.

 

He sighed as his thoughts drifted towards Theo. Stupid Theo. Stupid feelings.

 

Was it possible to love someone in 2 months? 

 

Scratch that, was it possible to instantaneously fall in love? Because Liam was pretty that’s what happened with him and Theo. 

 

Soulmates. Such a simple word that held such an important meaning. Liam wondered if Theo was his soulmate.

 

He snorted, squirting shampoo into his hands and washing his hair. _Soulmates_. _As if._

 

At one point in time, Liam had thought Hayden was his soulmate. Then that guy from the gym. Then the guy from Corey’s work. Then the girl from the coffee shop.

 

For some time, Liam had even let himself believe that Emma was his soulmate. 

 

Was Theo his soulmate? Probably not.

 

Did that mean Liam didn’t still have a massive crush on him? Hell no.

 

Would Liam still try and make a move on him tonight? No doubt.

 

Liam rinsed his head, moving onto his body, thoroughly scrubbing himself. He obviously needed to smell good for Theo, because if he smelt good, the chances of Theo rejecting him reduced by 13%. 

 

Of course, when Liam mentioned that thought process to Mason, his best friend had only snorted and asked what research backed it up.

 

Liam’s broken out of his thoughts by someone knocking on his front door.

 

“ _Shit_ ” he hissed, turning off the water and wrapping a towel around his waist. 

 

Without thinking, he ran to the door (later Mason would berate him for wetting the floors), passing by a sleeping Teddy. He swung it open, opening his mouth to apologize to Theo before stopping himself.

 

_That was not Theo._

 

Liam felt his face burn as the pizza delivery guys jaw dropped.

 

Liam mentally cursed Theo. He must’ve ordered the pizza for them and had it delivered straight to Liam’s.

 

“How much?” Liam tried to send him a friendly smile but it probably looked more like a regretful grimace. 

 

“$17.99” the guy replied, a light blush coating his cheeks. Liam took the pizza from it and set it down on the nearest chair.

 

“Alright let me just get my wallet, what did he order for us anyway?” Liam asked, spinning around to grab his cash from the hallway table. Seconds later Liam would discover that, that was the worst decision ever made.

 

Because when Liam turned around, his towel snagged on the doorknob. Almost immediately the towel dropped from his waist, meaning that the poor pizza delivery guy had just gotten a clear view of Liam’s ass.

 

As any sane person would, Liam spun back around in an attempt to hide his ass from the teenager at his door. Problem was, now his dick was just as exposed.

 

“O-one large m-meat lovers pizza” the guy stuttered, averting eye contact with Liam at all costs (Later that night, Liam would be able to laugh at the irony). If Liam was embarrassed, this guy was mortified.

 

Liam assumed the kid was a virgin and that this was probably the first naked guy he’d seen in person.

 

This is about when Liam’s fight or flight instincts cut in. Only instead of his usual ‘fight‘, Liam’s body decided to go with option three today - freeze.

 

And as if the situation couldn’t get any worse, someone up there decided to ruin Liam’s life even more by allowing Theo to show up right at that moment.

 

Theo blinked, a small smile gracing his face. “Did I just walk straight into a porno?” 

 

“Oh my god” Liam squeaked. He grabbed a $50 bill and shoved it at the delivery guy, forcing out a small “Keep the change”. It was the least he could do after scarring the kid for life. The kid in turn took that as his queue to leave.

 

Liam yanked his towel off the door and tied it around his waist again as Theo entered the apartment, amusement swimming in his eyes.

 

“Wow Liam, I didn’t know acne-covered teens were your type” Theo snorted. 

 

“I can’t believe I just flashed an underage boy _and_ the guy I have a crush on” Liam face-palmed.

 

“You have a crush on me?” Theo’s eyes widened. Liam’s words registered in his brain. He thought for a moment before muttering a quiet “ _Fuck it_ ” 

 

“Yeah, I do” Liam nodded.

 

“I like you too” Theo admitted “I just wasn’t sure if you were over Emma yet”

 

“You weren’t sure if _I_ was over Emma? I wasn’t sure if _you_ were over her” Liam exclaimed.

 

“I was over her the moment I met you”

 

Liam didn’t know what he could say back to that, so he did what he did best, act on impulse. Liam grabbed Theo by the collar and pulled him into a kiss.

 

Theo responded immediately and the two moved their mouths in sync.

 

A tiny bark was what finally made them break apart. Teddy stood in front of the two, his little tail wagging in excitement.

 

“This is my puppy, his name’s Teddy” Liam bent down and picked him up.

 

“Did you name your new dog after me?” Theo smirked, scratching behind the dogs ear.

 

“I can neither deny nor confirm that. Now shut up and kiss me again”

 

Maybe Liam still didn’t believe in soulmates, but he sure as hell believed he and Theo would be together for a long time. If you hadn’t noticed by now, Liam was pretty stubborn and he’d make sure of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally, after like four months, here's part two. theo's pov this time around.

 

It was a well-known fact that words were not Liam's strong suit, in fact, that was just another thing Theo liked about him. There were a lot of things Theo liked about Liam.

 

So it was no surprise that when Mason came back to the apartment only to find Theo and Liam cuddling on the couch, Liam answered his unasked question in probably the worst way imaginable.

 

"Basically, I got the floors wet, kinda got to third base with a high school boy and flashed Theo before he professed his love to me"

 

Theo snorted in amusement. "I'm pretty sure it was you who professed your love for me"

 

"You have no proof and therefore no one will ever believe you" Liam retorted, leaning his head on Theo's chest. His chest bloomed with warmth.

 

Theo wasn't really sure how he got lucky enough to actually meet Liam, let alone actually start dating him. Call it fate or whatever, but meeting Liam at the restaurant that night was probably meant to be. As stupid as it sounded, Theo was positive that Emma cheating on him had to be one of the best things to ever happen.

 

"You two finally got together?" Mason exclaimed.

 

"Mhm," Liam vigorously nodded. Theo watched as the gears in Liam's best friends head turned. He could pinpoint the exact moment Mason finally processed Liam's entire sentence.

 

"You did what with a high schooler?!" Mason all but shrieked.

 

"Let's just say Liam took away a teenagers innocence" Theo smirked, laughing when Liam elbowed him.

 

"What?" Mason shouted, "Liam when your mom finds out you've been added to the sex offenders list she'll freak!"

 

"I'll visit you in prison, cradle snatcher" Theo cackled.

 

"Shut up, both of you" Liam whined in embarrassment. Theo discreetly smiled, basking in how adorable Liam was.

 

"Liam, tell me what actually happened" Mason patiently said.

 

"I flashed the pizza delivery guy" Liam admitted as if he were a child getting in trouble by his dad.

 

"Did you apologize?" Mason raised an eyebrow.

 

"I think so" Liam shrugged. Theo tightened his hold on the other boy's hand. He really couldn't believe this was happening. A couple months ago, he believed that he'd marry Emma. He thought they'd buy a house together, have kids together and grow old together. Yet all they ended up doing together was breaking up.

 

After spending all this time with Liam, though he still didn't forgive her, Theo started to understand why Emma sought out someone else to date.

 

It was simple; they lost their spark.

 

Their relationship had started going downhill a while ago. Theo noticed that they started fighting more and not wanting to spend time together. But they'd stayed together because they loved each other. Or at least that's what Theo had thought. Now he realized they probably stayed together because of the sense of familiarity more than anything.

 

Emma was his first long-term relationship. They'd actually met at work, through mutual friends. After flirting back and forth for a while, Theo finally worked up the nerve to ask her out. And for a long time, things were kind of perfect.

 

But that was then, and this was now, and Liam was the only person who held his heart.

 

"I'm happy for you guys" Mason softly smiled before immediately glaring "But Liam, if you ever wet the floor again, I will end you"

 

"It was Theo's fault"

 

"It literally wasn't but okay" Theo found himself snorting. He watched as Liam and Mason bickered, running a hand through Liam's hair and watching Teddy snuggle up in his lap.

 

 _Yeah,_ Theo thought, _I could get used to this._

 

*

 

*

 

"So what was the important thing you wanted to ask me?" Liam said as the two of them scanned their menus.

 

"I was wondering if you'd wanna come with me to this work thing"

 

"Work thing?"

 

"It's like a party, only more boring"

 

"Of course I'll go" Liam grinned "I don't see why you were so worried about asking"

 

"I wasn't worried, more like concerned" Theo explained.

 

"Why?"

 

"Because Emma's gonna be there too"

 

"Oh," Liam frowned.

 

"If you don't want to go anymore, I don't blame you. If I was obligated to go, I'd skip out on it too" Theo tried to comfort Liam.

 

"No, I still wanna go. I'm just a little bit nervous" Liam admitted.

 

"And that's understandable" Theo nodded.

 

"Are you not nervous?" Liam narrowed his eyes.

 

"No, why would I be when I've got you-"

 

"Aw, T, that is so sweet-"

 

"-I'm more nervous about what you'll do rather than Emma"

 

"Never mind, I take that back. You're an ass"

 

"But I'm your ass"

 

"I don't think you're using that line right"

 

"And how would you know?"

 

"Fair point. You may proceed"

 

How could Theo be nervous when he was gonna be hanging around this one all night? Liam was probably the only thing in life that never stressed him out.

 

Theo was _so_ in love.

 

*

 

*

 

 "He-llo gorgeous" Theo winked, coming up behind Liam, who was standing in front of the mirror.

 

"Aw-"

 

"Oh Liam, you look nice too"

 

"Every time, you pull the same shit and yet, every time I fall for it" Liam pouted. Theo inwardly smiled. His boyfriend was so fucking cute.

 

"It's okay, I've got a thing for idiots"

 

"And apparently I've got a thing for assholes" Liam rolled his eyes.

 

Theo dipped down and pressed his lips to Liam's neck. "In all honesty, you look amazing Li"

 

The shorter boy was wearing a navy blue suit with a light blue tie while Theo himself was in a grey suit with a dark blue tie

 

"So do you" Liam turned his head slightly so Theo could attach their lips.

 

After they pulled away Liam grinned. "You ready to take your work by storm?"

 

"They won't know what hit 'em"

 

*

 

*

 

Things had been going fairly well. Every coworker that Theo introduced Liam to, loved him. No one had said anything to Theo about his noticeable change of partners. So far, it'd been an enjoyable night with the man he loved.

 

But of course, that couldn't last forever. Theo knew that Emma would eventually show up. 

 

And that time happened to be now.

 

He would've recognized her red hair anywhere. It was one of the first things he fell in love with. Her fiery red hair fit her perfectly, because she had a fierce fire burning within her. Emma wasn't afraid to say what she meant or do what she wanted. If she wanted something, she'd go for it, clearly.

 

_"Life's too short to keep asking for permission Theo, forgiveness is much easier"_

 

Her fire was what initially drew him in and it was that same fire that ultimately burned him. Emma's sense of self-preservation was the end of their relationship.

 

Liam had a fire within him too, but his was different. Liam's fire wasn't fierce, it was passionate. When he did things, he gave it his all, when he loved, he loved with all he could and when once he cared about someone, he would never stop.

 

Emma was a forest fire; bright, overwhelming and destructive. Liam was a campfire; warm, comforting and safe.

 

Theo recalled when he had asked both of them if they ever thought about the future.

 

_"Why should I worry about that? When it happens, it'll happen. I'm focused on the now"_

 

_"I try not to obsess over it, but yeah, I do. When I think of the future, I see Mason and Corey married and living somewhere with a white picket fence, Brett and Nolan raising a whole soccer team of kids, and I see us, Theo. I'd like for you to be my future"_

 

Emma and Liam may have had their similarities, but at the end of the day, they couldn't have been more different. Emma lived in the moment, she was impulsive because she had no plans, and she couldn't promise a future because she didn't know what she wanted. Liam was able to balance the here and now with the future, he was impulsive because he was adventurous, and he asked Theo to promise a future together because he loved him.

 

For a long time, Theo loved Emma. But for the rest of his life, he'd love Liam.

 

"Theo?" 

 

He looked over at the redhead. "Hey Emma"

 

"What's Liam doing here? Did he come here for me?" she looked oddly pleased with the idea of Liam hopelessly pining over her. An odd feeling settled in his stomach.

 

"No, he's with me"

 

Her eyes widened and her jaw went slack. "Excuse me?"

 

"We're together now" Theo continued.

 

 _"What?"_ she screeched "Is this some sort of joke?"

 

"No" Theo furrowed his eyebrows "I love him"

 

"No you don't" she huffed.

 

"I don't?" Theo echoed.

 

"That's not possible Theo, you haven't known him long enough. You saw how long it took for you to love me, how long do you think it'll take to love him?"

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Theo glared at her.

 

"You know exactly what it means. You're incapable of love and Liam's incapable of being loved"

 

 _"What?"_ Theo hissed, completely enraged.

 

"You're fucked up over your shitty childhood and Liam, sweet as he is, is not real boyfriend material" she shrugged "I really did like him, but there's a reason I didn't leave you for him. He's cute, but I'd never actually love him. And you? You only love people you're willing to marry. Liam could never make you happy like that"

 

"You know nothing about me or Liam, and you definitely know nothing about our relationship"

 

"But that's where you're wrong Theo, because I'm probably the only person who really knows you" her grin was sharp "You're gonna break his heart, and when you do, I'll be here waiting for you"

 

"Fuck you" Theo snapped.

 

"I'll catch you later Theo. Tell Liam I say hi" and with that, she walked away. Theo felt like his head was spinning.

 

_"You're gonna break his heart"_

 

A hand clasped his shoulder. "Theo? Are you okay babe?"

 

Theo managed a weak smile at Liam. "I'm fine"

 

He was anything but.

 

*

 

*

 

Theo was used to bottling up his feelings, it was one of his most toxic traits.

 

When they were dating, it pissed Emma off. He'd isolate himself and she never cared about why. He'd expected something similar to happen with Liam when he started to pull away, but he should've known better. 

 

With Liam Dunbar, always expect the unexpected.

 

"Theo, what the fuck?" 

 

Liam had barged into his apartment, mid-Netflix binge.

 

"Huh?" Theo intelligently said.

 

"When you're feeling down, you come talk to me, Theo. You know I'm here for you"

 

"Huh?" he repeated.

 

"You're clearly isolating yourself to wallow in self-pity. Something's bothering you and I want to help"

 

"You're not mad?"

 

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Liam frowned "I'm just worried, because I care about you"

 

"But I ignored you" he pushed.

 

"You weren't trying to hurt me, you were trying to hurt yourself. I'm not mad Theo, your feelings are always valid"

 

Theo frowned at that. Emma never asked him what was wrong. Nobody did.

 

"Alright, scoot over" Liam lightly pushed Theo over to make room on the couch.

 

"What're you doing?'

 

"If you're not ready to talk yet, then I won't force you. But I'm not leaving you alone at a time like this"

 

Theo stared at him. "Liam?"

 

"Hm?" he replied, pulling Theo into his embrace.

 

"I love you"

 

"I love you too"

 

*

 

*

 

"She _what?"_

 

"It's not that big of a deal-"

 

"Theo, she's a bitch" Liam deadpanned.

 

"Everything she said about you was wrong Li, you're not unlovable and I would marry you any day"

 

"I know I'm not what she says I am, but do you?"

 

"Didn't I just say that?" Theo looked confused.

 

"I mean, do you know that _you're_ not what she says you are?"

 

Theo didn't answer.

 

"Okay, that's it" Liam huffed, getting up and pulling Theo with him.

 

"Where are we going?"

 

"To Emma's house. I'm going to give her a piece of my mind"

 

Theo wanted to argue, to resist, to keep Liam home, but he didn't. Maybe a part of him wanted to see Emma again, if anything just to prove her claims about Liam wrong.

 

And so Liam drove them in Mason's car to her place.

 

It only took three knocks before her door swung open. She looked satisfied at the sight of the two of them, as if causing them trouble was enjoyable.

 

"What a surprise-"

 

"Cut the shit Emma" Liam snapped, making both Emma and Theo's eyes widen. Liam almost never got like this.

 

"Li-"

 

"Stop messing with Theo's head. You're the one who cheated, not him. I couldn't care less about what you say about me, but when you start making Theo fell bad about himself, then that's when we have a problem. Because Theo deserves so much better than you. He's sweet, caring, funny, smart, loyal, brave and incredibly adorable. You and him would never have worked out, because despite what you think, _Theo's not damaged"_ Liam ranted. Theo felt his heart swell.

 

For the first time, Emma was speechless.

 

For the first time, he wanted to stand up for himself.

 

"I hope you find someone to settle down with eventually, if that's what you want. I hope you accomplish everything you dream of and I hope you're happy" Theo found himself speaking up "I'm not here to argue with you. There's no point. We're going our separate ways and I honestly wish you well. I don't want to hate you, Emma, because we were happy. I hope you can realize that you need to start letting go of the past now too"

 

And he meant every word of it.

 

As much as he liked to pretend that nothing affected him, they did. But with Liam by his side, he could start to let go of the bitterness. He felt Liam put a hand on the small of his back in support, his touch relaying what he wanted to say. _Liam was proud of him._

 

Emma looked down but didn't say a word.

 

"You can't control him because he has people who care about him" Liam added "And as the co-founder and head of the Theo Raeken fan club, I am hereby revoking your membership"

 

Liam took the liberty of shutting her door when she made no move to do so herself.

 

"Co-founder?" Theo raised a bemused eyebrow.

 

"Nolan's a pretty big fan of you too" Liam shrugged. Theo then watched as Liam picked up a decorative turtle from Emma's doorstep.

 

"What's that for?"

 

"Karma" Liam smirked, spinning on his heel and walking away with her turtle.

 

 _Yeah,_ Theo thought, a satisfied smile gracing his face, _he was definitely in love._

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry my slow ass took so long. this was more angsty than I originally planned all those months ago?? I hope nobody takes emma's character the wrong way, because sometimes people are just plain mean. I think we can all agree madison > emma.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm planning to make this a two-parter, next part will contain more emma and her reaction to theo and liam's relationship.


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